Everyone Wants Something They Don't Have
by Talba0926
Summary: Whether it's something you've always wanted or something you want back, everyone is guilty of wanting things they don't have. For Kaia, she wants what she paid for the night she tried to bring her sister back to life. She's already gone through hell, so how much worse could the journey possibly get? Follows the Brotherhood plot.
1. Onward to Central

**Hello! This is my first fanfic and, obviously, my first time in the fandom. I'm really excited to be getting into this, though I do have a request before you begin reading. I would like you to go to my profile page, as it has the character profiles of my OCs and also a little bit of information in regards to the style I usually write my fanfiction. It's something I would appreciate and it would also help clear some things up in the story.**

**This is the DA URL for the character profiles: deviantart com****/talba0926**

**Anyway, I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters/plot/etc. I DO own my OCs and alterations to the original plot. Thank you and I hope you enjoy!**

Edward and Alphonse Elric, after a long time of being away from their town of birth, returned to Resembool for the sake of repairing their bodies. Well, repairing them as much as they could with Edward's broken automail arm and Alphonse's armor which was half gone. Of course, like with any sort of work that requires great care and little to no room for mistakes, it would take time. That was something that, while necessary to reach their goal, was nonetheless frustrating.

Still, it gave them time to rest and recharge, something that would help them in the long run. It was a break from all of the constant chaos that had came and gone, and it was certain that it was only a break. Both brothers were certain that this wouldn't be the last of it, not by a long shot.

In the three days they were told it would take to recover from their last battle, however, they would encounter something else. Something that was approaching Resembool very quickly…

* * *

Three raps on the door alerted the Rockbell household of a visitor waiting for someone to answer. Perhaps it was a neighbor or even one of their customers or even a stranger. Whoever it was, Pinako Rockbell was the one to answer the door.

It was a young man, one that appeared to be in his early twenties. He had kind, dark eyes and a matching smile, making him seem like a polite young man. Despite how kind he looked, it was that military uniform that ignited mistrust in the older woman.

"Can I help you?"

He bowed slightly, "Good afternoon. I was told that Edward and Alphonse Elric were here for maintenance. I presume you're Madame Rockbell?"

"I am. Who might you be and what do you want with those boys?"

"My name is Allister. I'm a state alchemist and I was sent here to deliver a message. May I come in?"

She paused, soon nodded and stood to the side, "You may. I must say it's quite refreshing to have someone in the military who doesn't just barge into someone's home without permission."

He nodded back and entered the home. As he did, he chuckled, "With all do respect, I was raised better than to act like that, military or not."

"Hmm. That may be, or it may be that you haven't grown into it yet."

"I suppose we'll see, then. Now, may I please speak to the Elric brothers?"

"Certainly. Follow me and I'll take you to them," Pinako led Allister through the house to the back door. There, the Elric brothers and Major Armstrong were there. "Well, boys. It seems you have a visitor."

The brothers looked to this new guest as he stepped down the stairs. Another military official? Edward couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. There was already one too many with him at the moment and now another one was thrown into the mix. What the hell did he want?

"Allister Conrad-Wu. I take it you're Edward Elric? The Fullmetal Alchemist?" he had a friendly smile as he stuck his hand out…to Alphonse.

Steam came out of Edward's ears as his brother corrected, "Uh, no. I'm Alphonse Elric. That's my brother right there."

The smile slowly vanished from his features and he drew his hand back, "I am…very sorry. I was told you were the one in the armor by Colonel Mustang."

…

Ah, now it made sense. Alphonse sweatdropped and Edward lashed out, "Damn it, that colonel is getting on my last nerve!"

"Hmm. You said your name was Allister?" Armstrong had been pondering where he heard the name before. "Ah, yes. I believe you're the Flash Flood Alchemist."

Allister nodded and saluted, "That's correct. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Uh, nice to meet you too," Alphonse responded, his armor clanking a bit. Allister raised a brow and observed him and his empty armor. As soon as he noticed, the boy began to panic, "AH! Uh, this isn't what it looks like! W-we can explain-!"

The older man raised a hand to halt him, "It's alright, no need to do that. I've already been informed on your situation. Your empty armor and missing limbs, and the story behind them."

Edward's golden eyes darkened as he asked, "Is that so? What do you want, anyway?"

Allister reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to Edward. The blonde boy snatched it from him and looked it over. It was a letter.

_Fullmetal,_

_I got wind of an alchemist passing through my area searching for the philosopher's stone. I managed to flag him this morning as he's fairly hard to track due to his constant movement. See if he can help you out in your search. _

_Mustang_

"You're…you're searching for the philosopher's stone, too?"

Alphonse gasped slightly and Armstrong was fairly shocked as well. Allister nodded,

"Mhmm."

"Why are you looking for the stone, Allister?" the younger brother timidly asked.

For once, Allister's smile disappeared completely and his expression became very somber. He averted his eyes away from them as he replied,

"Same reason as anyone else, I guess: just trying to get back what's been lost…"

It was a short yet very akward silence before he continued, "Anyway, in regards to information, I'm afraid I can't offer much. The most I have so far are the basics, stuff that even novice alchemists should know. I also have information on someone who knows about the philosopher's stone, a man named Tim Marcoh. He went into hiding after the Ishvalan Civil War and I haven't had any luck finding him."

The brothers and Armstrong looked to each other, sweatdropping and silently debating who should be the one to tell him. Finally, Armstrong decided to be the one to do so.

"Actually, we talked to Dr. Marcoh. Today, in fact. He's already given us a lead on his research at the National Central Library."

Allister was frozen on the spot. He blinked once, then twice, then a third time. Before anyone could so much as talk more, he fell to his knees.

"Are you kidding me?! I've been searching for him for four years and of course he's in the last place I decide to look!"

There was a bit of awkward laughter amongst them. Edward had stopped mid laugh and reread the letter. One detail somehow didn't make sense,

"Hey, this letter says the colonel flagged you down 'this morning.' He doesn't mean this morning as in _today_, does he?!"

"Uh, yeah. He talked to me this morning and I rushed right over. Why do you ask?"

He wordlessly gawked at him, not even able to point out the obvious flaw in his words. Alphonse was the one to be clearer,

"That's true. It takes at least a day by train to get to Resembool from Eastern Command, and even then there's a bit of a walk between the train station and here."

Allister then caught on to the reason of their confusion and clarified, "Oh! I see! Well, I didn't travel here by train. I had a much faster mode of transportation, and one that is far more reliable."

He reached into his uniform and brought out what looked like a whistle that was tied around his neck. He blew into it, releasing a shrill shriek for a brief moment. Not long after, they heard the distinct sound of thundering hooves.

From the corner of the house galloped a sort of strange creature. They had certainly never seen anything like it before, but recognized what it was immediately: a chimera. The beast had the head, wings and talons of an eagle, the body and hind legs of a horse, and the tail of a lion.

"That's…that's a chimera…!" Alphonse stated shakily. He couldn't help it after their recent experience involving the transmutation of a chimera…

"He is. He's a mix of eagle, horse, and just a bit of lion," Allister explained as the creature nudged his shoulder with his beak. He patted it and moved his hand to scratch behind the chimera's feathery, horse-like ears. "He was made as part of a program for the military for special mounts. I call him Arrow."

"It certainly is a fascinating creature," Armstrong nodded. "I was not aware that such a program existed."

At that, Allister became sheepish. He rubbed the back of his neck as he explained, "Well, it's sort of in a trial phase right now. We need to make sure they're safe for us and the general public. So far, Arrow's been completely mellow and pretty easy to handle. He's definitely made traveling faster and easier."

Arrow squawked before shifting his legs to rest on the ground. With a sigh, Allister asked, "So I am to assume that we'll be heading off to Central as soon as you're all fixed up?"

The older brother nodded,

"That's the plan."

That same day wore on for a few hours. Edward was nowhere to be found. Pinako, Winry, and Armstrong were inside, leaving only Alphonse and Allister outside. Seeing as it would be some time before they could move on, the latter decided to make himself useful.

He had shed his military coat, revealing his more casual attire. Seeing more of his body, he was fairly muscular, yet still lean. He was tending to some of the chickens when Alphonse decided to break the silence,

"Hey, Allister?"

"Hmm? What is it, Alphonse?"

"I thought I heard the Major call you the Flash Flood Alchemist. You're a state alchemist?"

He nodded, "Yes. I got my certification when I was seventeen and have been searching for the stone ever since. That was about six years ago. And yes, the name suggests that I specialize in water alchemy."

"Wow. You've really been hard at work. How come we've never heard of you or see you?"

"Well, like the letter said, I travel around a lot and I don't stay in one place for long. I've traveled all over Amestris to search for the philosopher's stone."

…

"Oh…that's another thing. You said that you're searching for the stone for the same reason we are. That means you had to have done a human transmutation to bring someone back, right? If you don't mind me asking, who did you lose?"

Allister tensed dramatically, but reluctantly sighed and sat down against the same barrel as Alphonse was. He reached into his pant pocket, and held out photograph, which Alphonse accepted.

"Those are my little sisters. They're twins if you haven't already guessed."

Indeed, they were. The photograph showed two little girls who couldn't have been older than five. They had short black hair and wore simple, yet identical, winter clothes. They were outside in the snow, and one sister was sitting on the ground while the other was hugging her from behind. Both had large smiles on their faces.

They seemed completely identical with only one distinguishing feature: the one hugging the other had a bow barrette in her hair and the one sat on the ground had a flower barrette.

"It was about fourteen years ago that it happened. The one with the bow in her hair was Kaia, and the one with the flower was Lillia…"

He became painfully quiet after that. The younger boy could already predict how this story was going to go, but that was no reason to interrupt. After a moment of silence, he continued,

"That photo was actually taken not too long before it happened. One day, they were playing in the snow. I can't remember much from that day, but I can remember most of what happened: they kept playing even after it got dark, and they were on a sled. I guess they couldn't see it, but they accidentally slid onto a frozen lake, but it wasn't thick enough to support the weight of them both…"

Alphonse couldn't help the soft gasp that came out of him. Allister clenched his eyes tightly shut, either trying to remember or suffering from the memory. Or maybe both.

"We got them out as soon as we could, but they ended up catching pneumonia. Kaia was lucky and recovered. Lillia, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky…"

Alphonse was speechless. To lose your life when you're that young, just starting to explore the world. It couldn't have been easy for their family.

"That's awful…I'm so sorry…"

Allister shook his head, "Thank you, but don't be. It won't change anything. It really took a toll on all of us, Kaia especially. Those two were inseparable and pretty much each other's best and only friend. It completely crushed her."

Alphonse looked back at the photo, of the two smiling faces of the little girls. They did seem awfully close, arguably as close as he and his brother were. Just as he couldn't imagine how heartbroken he'd be if he lost Edward, he couldn't even begin to comprehend how much Kaia had suffered losing her sister.

"It was four years later that the incident occurred: the human transmutation. It was horrific…"

"I know…it always is. When you did the transmutation, what kind of toll did you pay? You don't look like you have anything missing…"

The young man let his head fall back against the barrel, letting out a weak chuckle. It definitely caught Alphonse off guard.

"Screw it. You're going to find out sooner or later…"

Allister sighed heavily, "I said I was looking for the stone to restore what's been lost, remember? Well, that doesn't necessarily mean that _I'm_ the one that lost something."

Alphonse felt a great sense of dread shoot through his armor. He didn't want to believe what he was about to say, but he knew it was true.

"I didn't perform the transmutation. Kaia did."

"Wh-what? _She_ performed the transmutation?"

Allister confirmed, "Yes. I told you it crushed her, crushed her to the point where she'd do anything to see her again…"

…

"I see. I know what that's like, or at least something like that. If…if she was the one to perform the transmutation, what toll did she end up paying?"

Every previous question seemed to hammer Allister down with pain, but that one took the cake. Alphonse could tell too, telling him that it was one he dreaded answering, if he even gave one at all.

"Let's just say…the toll she paid was one that has made her completely incapable of finding the philosopher's stone herself. That's why I'm the one who is searching for it. I'm leaving it at that."

"Okay. I understand…"

It was once again awkwardly silent. Still, in that time, both had gotten to know each other well enough. It was an admirable thing that Allister was doing for his sister and it was kind of Alphonse to not pry any further.

Allister let out a resigned sigh, "Alphonse, I need you to promise me something. If you have to tell anyone else, only tell your brother and no one else. Nobody else can know about this. Promise?"

…

"Okay. I promise. I'd really like to know why, but I don't think you're ready to tell me that, are you?"

Allister smiled sadly, "Yup. Besides, if you ever do meet my sister, I think you'll be able to figure it out on your own…"

* * *

The three days came and went, and then Edward's automail repairs were complete. With that done, Alphonse was able to be restored as well. Considering how late in the day it was by the time they were finished, it was decided that they would leave for Central first thing the next morning.

After saying they're goodbyes, the group had walked to the train station by late morning. Three were travelling by train and one was not.

"You're not coming with us, Allister?" Alphonse asked.

"Nah. Like I said, this is a mode of transportation I find much more reliable," he remarked as he mounted Arrow who was crouched to the ground. The chimera stood up and ruffled his wings.

"Also, I'm going to be making a quick stop. It's on the way to Central, so I should be able to meet you guys there on time."

"All right, if you're sure," Edward and the others waved him goodbye as they went to catch their train.

Allister used his heels to nudge and Arrow obediently stood up. The chimera took off into a sprint before ascending into the sky. In no time, they were soaring over the countryside.

As eager as he was to follow the new lead on the philosopher's stone, there was one place not too far (at least by chimera) that he needed to visit. The talk with Alphonse had indeed been difficult, but it had also been…nostalgic.

* * *

In under an hour, Allister reached his destination and now stood in front of a Xingese-styled cottage. It had been four years since he visited this place, and he was absolutely dreading how he would be welcomed.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the sliding door. There was a bit of shuffling on the other side before the door opened, revealing an old Xingese man, Tao Wu. He wore simple robes and had his silver hair in a ponytail.

His dark eyes were as kind as his smile when greeted, "Well, this is certainly unexpected. We haven't seen you in so long."

Allister smiled back, "I know. It's been a pretty long time, grandfather. I can't stay long, but I wanted to see Kaia. I have some news for her."

"Oh, good news I hope," he ushered Allister inside. "She's out back with your grandmother. They're training right now."

The young man stopped abruptly, "I-I'm sorry, _training_?"

The grandfather ignored his question as he led him out to the back, where it was basically a wide, open area. There were all sorts of combat equipment, which didn't surprise Allister. His maternal grandparents were raised as warriors when they still lived in Xing.

Speaking of which, his breath caught in his throat as he saw what "training" that was happening. Kaia and their grandmother, Xiu Wu, were locked in a brutal fighting session, throwing punches and kicks at each other. Allister almost lunged to stop the fight, but the firm hand of his grandfather on his shoulder stopped him.

"Don't interfere. Just watch."

And so he did, feeling very anxious as the fight continued. He did have to admit, whatever training they were doing, Kaia wasn't doing half bad. She struck, blocked, dodged, and moved with great precision, accuracy, and grace.

He was also surprised that their grandmother still had that kind of energy left in her at that age…

"You need to stop leaving your shoulder open! An opponent could easily strike you and leave your arm useless!"

The old woman's advice was harshly given as they fought and she even went to strike at Kaia's shoulder to emphasize it. However, it seemed that Kaia anticipated it, as she lifted her arm to block and immediately struck back. Her move was also blocked and then the two were still.

They separated and bowed to each other. Xiu rose and commended, "Well done, child. Your strength and skill have truly become exceptional."

Kaia rose as well and responded, "Thank you, grandmother. I couldn't have done it without you."

It was then that the women chose to acknowledge the men. Xiu looked at him quite solemnly while Kaia looked at him with surprise. He couldn't help but flinch a bit as she stared in his direction and not actually at him.

Her bluish-gray eyes, while a pleasant shade, were dull and unfocused. Over half of the time, he couldn't bear to even look at her eyes since that day. The day she lost her sight and so much more.

"Allister? What are you doing here?"

He shook out of his stupor and stepped forward, "Uh, yeah. I came with some news. I'm getting closer to finding the philosopher's stone. I'm heading to Central now with some colleagues to look over some notes that are stored there."

"Really?" his heart swelled a bit in joy at the excitement in her voice. That joy deflated immediately seconds later, "I've always wanted to visit Central! I'll go get my things!"

"Wait, wha-no!" he stopped her with his arm. "You're not coming with me."

"Why not?!"

"Look, I'll need to decipher these notes and I have no idea how long it's going to take. Keeping an eye on you and doing that is going to be too much. Just stay here and I'll come back to tell you what I've found."

"No!" she protested, stomping her foot. "I want to go with you! I want to help find the stone!"

Before the argument could continue, Xiu interrupted, "Enough. Kaia, go and get your things. You're going with your brother."

Kaia let out a silent cry of victory as she raced to the cottage. When she was out of earshot, Xiu spoke before her grandson could,

"Please just take her with you. If you're truly concerned with her being dependent on you, I can assure you that she can mostly take care of herself. The most she'll need help with are directions to specific locations, which I doubt is of little effort for you to handle."

However, Allister was adamant, "With all due respect, it's not only that. I can't guarantee I can keep her safe if anything were to happen…"

He was shocked to hear his grandmother laugh, "You truly are naïve, boy. As you have grown and changed, so has your sister. She is very independent and capable for someone in her condition. If that's what concerns you, don't let it. You already saw that she is a very skilled fighter and can escape danger easily."

"Yes, but-"

"Allister."

The two turned to Tao, who had finally stepped in. He sighed and said,

"I understand your concerns. They are legitimate, but please understand something: Kaia cannot be trapped here forever. She wants to travel and explore and you know how she is. She will go with or without someone to guide her. Would you rather have _that_ happen?"

Allister's eyes were wide and conflicted. His mouth opened to speak, but he couldn't form any words.

"Kaia is your sister, Allister. If she wants to go out into the world, we would rather she do so with someone with her best interest at heart, someone like you."

…Damn.

Allister sighed heavily, "Okay, okay. I'll bring her with me. I guess it can't be _that_ dangerous if it's only looking through notes…"

"Good. There's just one more thing I want you to take with you."

Tao went to enter the house as Kaia came rushing out with a backpack. The young woman reached into her shirt and pulled out a whistle, blowing into it with a call not too different from Allister's. A chimera of the same kind as Arrow came trotting out of a make-shift stable, saddle and all.

Allister's jaw dropped, "How-when did this happen?!"

"About six years ago," she simply answered, tapping on the creatures beak. It crouched down so Kaia could mount before standing back up. "Okay, ready to go, Astra?"

The chimera, now known to be a "she," stomped her hoof and squawked. Her wings ruffled, clearly eager to take off.

It was at that moment that Tao returned, holding a box out to Allister. He accepted it and peeked inside, but what he saw made his brow furrow.

"A camera?"

"Be sure to take as many pictures as possible for her. I'm sure she would love them when you restore her sight."

Allister was still rather confused, but it was rather useless to argue. His grandmother then whispered to him,

"Do as he says. Believe me, it'll be worth it."

He could definitely not understand what she meant. Man, he hated it when they got all ambiguous on him, but he supposed they had their reasons.

"Okay, I will. We've gotta go now. I don't want to keep my colleagues waiting."

"Goodbye, Kaia. Take care of yourself," Tao waved to her.

Xiu held her hand firmly, giving it an encouraging squeeze, "Keep up with your training and try finding some new sparring partners while you're at it."

Kaia smiled at her and squeezed back, "I will. I won't disappoint you."

**Well, that's chapter one of many more to come. To clarify: yes, the chimeras Arrow and Astra are basically hippogriffs. I do not claim to have created them, but I do believe the can pass as chimeras in this reality. Also, the camera mentioned at the end is heavily based on the 1914 Simplex camera, which happens to be the year they had begun manufacturing and selling to the public.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you stay tuned for more.**


	2. Hidden Truths

**Yay! Ch. 2! I'm so excited to get started on the next chapter. I have quite a few ideas to work with and I think they're going to turn out very well. Anyway, you know the drill. I do not own FMA or the characters/storyline. I DO own my OCs and minor changes to the storyline. Enjoy!**

"Damn it, are you kidding?!" were Allister's first words upon arriving at the First Branch of the Central Library, which was now a pile of rubble.

Kaia gagged a bit, "The air stinks here. I can smell all the ashes!"

With a dejected sigh, he stated, "Might as well see if anything survived. Wait here."

Kaia stared blankly at his back as he made his way to the building. After a few paces, she began to follow. She could sense more chi in the building, most likely his colleagues. Strangely though, she sensed the chi of only two of _three_ bodies.

By the time she reached the steps, she could hear their voices more clearly,

"It doesn't look like anything's survived…"

"Even if it does, we need to see if the notes survived!"

"Brother, please! Calm down!"

Her brow furrowed before she climbed the steps and entered the building. Edward and Allister were searching through the ashes. Major Armstrong and Alphonse were off to the side, so she decided to head their way.

"This is quite a mess, isn't it?"

"Hmm? Oh, young lady. You really shouldn't be in here…"

"Don't worry, I'm with him," she jabbed a thumb at Allister, who developed a tick mark.

"And I told you to wait outside!"

"Well, as you can see, I'm not a patient person!"

The major and Alphonse watched the exchange with curiosity. The latter tilted his head, pondering why she looked so familiar…

"Um, excuse me, miss? Who are you?"

She craned her neck to the armored boy and grinned. She stuck her hand out, "Kaia. Kaia Conrad-Wu. And you are…?"

His armor rattled a bit in surprise, finally meeting the girl he had heard a lot about. And from what he could look over, he could see what Allister meant. It was almost too easy to see what she had lost…

Kaia's face turned concerned, "Hey, you okay?"

"O-Oh, sorry! Yeah, I'm okay. I'm Alphonse Elric. It's nice to meet you," he replied and let her hand grasp his to shake.

"Likewise," she turned curious as she felt his hand. "Wow, your hand is huge! Is this armor I'm feeling?"

"Uh, yeah. It is…"

"Well, it's no use. There's nothing here but ash. Everything we were looking for is gone," Edward sighed in frustration.

He and Allister rejoined the group and only just then noticed the newest addition, "Hey, who the hell are you?"

To keep things short and peaceful, Allister decided to get the formalities out of the way,

"Everyone, this is my sister, Kaia. Kaia, you already know Alphonse. This is Edward Elric and Major Armstrong."

They were interrupted by a woman's voice,

"Major Armstrong!"

Two soldiers had appeared, both saluting. Major Armstrong acknowledged them,

"Ah, Second Lieutenant Maria Ross and Sergeant Brosh. To what do we owe this pleasure?"

Ross answered, "You have been ordered to return to the command center, sir."

"We'll be taking over supervision of Edward Elric and his brother effective immediately," Sergeant Brosh continued.

"Hmm. Very well, he's all yours."

"What is this?! Just when I think I'm home free, they saddle me with more bodyguards?! This is getting old!"

* * *

_I'm so freaking bored! _thought Kaia as she ran her fingers through her hair.

It turned out luck was on their side and a woman known as Sheska had a perfect memorization of the notes they were looking for. Unfortunately, it would take time for her to copy them all, so they couldn't do much but wait.

That was two days ago, and now they were gathered outside of her home in hopes of hearing some news as soon as possible. It seemed that everyone was getting impatient and on edge.

"How long is this going to take?!" Edward sighed loudly, clearly frustrated at having to wait even longer.

"Just be patient, brother. Sheska's doing the best she can right now. We can't just rush her."

The alchemist let out another loud sigh and let his head fall back against the wall. Allister let out a sigh of his own,

"I get that we'll want to know it's finished as soon as possible, but do we really have to wait right here all day? Couldn't we go do something else to pass the time?"

"That's probably for the best," Ross concurred. "Maybe you should use this time to rest."

"That's all we've been doing for the past five days," Edward whined.

Kaia, now tiring of his complaining, simply stated, "Well sitting in front of her home and bellyaching about it isn't going to make her work any faster. Just find something to distract you and then we'll look over the notes when they're ready."

"What do you mean '_we'_?" he grumbled. "It's not like you could do much, anyway. Even with the notes, you can't exactly read, so you're kind of useless in this situation…"

Edward yelped as three little icicles flew past his head, piercing the stone wall he was leaning against. Everyone glanced at Kaia with a mix of shock and fear. Her right arm was raised and sparks danced off of her glove.

Her expression was furious as she hissed, "Shut up, you shrimp!"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SHRIMP?! YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE! HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW?!

"Brother-!"

"I don't _need_ to see! Your chi is telling me all I need to, you little flea!"

"Kaia!"

"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!"

"DON'T CALL _ME_ USELESS!"

"Okay, let's just calm down," Brosh tried to intervene, but was quickly shut down by the glares from the alchemists sent his way. "Okay, forget I said anything!"

Kaia grunted as she felt a harsh tug on her braid, making her fall right on her back. Astra's scaly feet rested gently yet firmly on her wrists. Her handler growled in anger as she squirmed and struggled to get free.

"Um, shouldn't we do something?" Ross whispered to Allister, figuring her brother would know what to do.

Instead, Allister shook his head, "Nah. One of the behaviors of these particular chimeras is to protect their handlers, and that includes preventing spats before they happen if possible. She could tell Kaia was angry and is just holding her down till she cools off."

By that time, Kaia's struggling had died down and she was now panting heavily. She lifted her head and narrowed her eyes, "You got lucky this time, little man."

Edward's teeth ground together as he snarled, "Really? I'm not the one who's helplessly pinned to the ground!"

She scowled and renewed her efforts to break free. The situation had grown tense and it wasn't getting any better. One person had decided that it was time to end it.

"Okay, ENOUGH!" Allister exclaimed in an irritated tone. "Both of you, stop it! You're acting like children!"

"Tell that to her! She's the one who started it!"

"Like hell I did! All I said was to find something to do! _You're_ the one who insulted _me_ first!"

"STOP IT!" Allister cut in. "Kaia, you can't just attack people out of nowhere even if they've insulted you."

She glared at her brother and she could definitely feel in Edward's chi that he was quite smug. That smugness was diminished as he continued,

"Ed, I don't care if she did attack you first. You do _not_ talk to a lady, much less _my sister_, like that! You're a military professional, so act like it! Are we all clear?"

…

"I am if he is…" Kaia muttered, finally calm from her second tantrum.

Edward grunted, but conceded, "Fine. Let's just go."

Astra released her handler and stepped back, allowing her to get back to her feet. The alchemist dusted off her shirt, crossing her arms with a huff as she reluctantly followed the group.

"You handled that pretty well," Alphonse whispered to Allister. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"It was practically drilled through my skull by my dad. He's in the military as well and is very serious about discipline."

* * *

Kaia was sat against Astra's side as she "watched" Edward and Alphonse spar. The party had relocated to a nearby field, where Edward got the idea for he and his brother to train to kill time.

"Tell me again why I can't spar, too?"

"I don't want you getting hurt," Allister stated simply.

She pouted, "That's not fair! I can handle myself plenty well in a fight!"

"Would it really kill you to sit still for just _one_ day?"

"…Yes."

The older man sighed in defeat, "Fine! You can spar, but only with Alphonse. After that spat earlier, I don't trust you fighting with Ed yet."

Silently cheering, she exclaimed, "I'll take it! He's the better fighter, anyway. Hey, Alphonse! Mind if I take a shot at you when you guys are done?"

"Uh, sure!" he answered, actually finishing a session and making their way back. "You know how to fight?"

"Mhmm!" she grinned. "I've been trained in a lot of forms of martial arts. I'm very good if I do say so myself."

"Yeah, right! Prove it," Edward challenged. He could at least believe that she was adept in navigating, but certainly not in combat!

Kaia's cheeks puffed out in annoyance, "Okay, I will!"

She and Alphonse backed away and took starting positions. The rest of the group watched on, somewhat concerned and intrigued all at once.

"So, are we only relying on our fighting skills or are we bringing alchemy into this?"

"Nope. Just a normal fight. You can have the first move, Kaia."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you, Alphonse," she smiled sweetly.

Then she vanished, or at least that's what it looked like to the rest of them. Alphonse cried out as his chest was hit by Kaia's foot. She smirked as she kicked off of him with her other foot, pushing him back quite a few feet and nearly knocking him over.

She landed, her arms and legs still alert and ready to strike, "It was sweet, but it won't help you in this fight."

Having gotten over his shock, he charged to land his strike, "You're fast! I didn't even see you coming."

"Thanks!" she grunted, dodging and blocking his strikes and throwing her own. "You're not so bad yourself!"

All of the strikes were thrown and it was all a blur. Alphonse had the advantage in a larger size and strength, but Kaia had the advantage in speed, a smaller size, and maneuverability. Neither of them had even landed an effective blow on the other because of them. In the end, it looked like it could go either way.

Alphonse threw a strike towards Kaia's shoulder, which she dodged. She grabbed onto his arm and pulled him down before sweeping her leg at his feet. This caused him to tumble to the ground, but he used the proximity to his advantage. He grabbed her by her other arm and threw her away from him.

This caught her off guard, making her yelp and stumble back before falling to the ground. Alphonse charged at her, using her stupor to land another move. However, she could sense him coming and swung her leg up, landing a strong, solid kick on his shoulder…

…at least, that's where she was aiming.

Instead, his helmet flew right off of his armor and high into the air. It flew farther and farther away until it plummeted down into a large meadow of tall grass.

"AHH! My head!" he panicked with his hands scrambling over the place his helmet once was.

"AL!" Edward cried out, immediately rushing to his brother's side. He threw a glare at Kaia, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Alphonse, I'm so sorry!" Kaia panicked with him, quickly standing up. "I only meant to hit your shoulder! Here, I'll go get it!"

She took off towards the grass, disappearing in it within seconds. To anybody else, finding Al's helmet in this would be as difficult as finding as finding a needle in a haystack. As for Kaia, it was little to no trouble to pinpoint its location.

Tucking it under her shoulder, she sprinted out of the grass and back to the suit of armor. She slightly panted as she held out the helmet,

"Here, I found it!"

"Oh, thanks Kaia," he gratefully took it back and reattached it.

"Okay, I think that's enough for one day!" Allister interrupted. "Good work, guys."

"Already? Damn…" Kaia looked disappointed, but then grinned and waved at Alphonse, "We'll finish this later, Al. I can't wait to see what else you've got!"

He agreed, "Okay, sure. Maybe we can use our alchemy too!"

She laughed, "You're an alchemist, too?! That ought to make it more interesting!"

As they continued to walk back together, Edward and Allister came back at their own pace. There was just something he had to know,

"That was impressive. I'm not gonna lie, I thought all that stuff about 'blindsight' was just a bunch of crap, but the way she fought and found Al's helmet like that, there's no way she could be bluffing. Either that or she's faking being blind."

"Trust me, she's not. I was there when she had her accident and she even has an official diagnosis."

Edward stopped and asked, "If it's not a bluff, then how the hell does she do it? I've never heard of anything like that."

Allister had stopped as well and explained, "Let's see…the closest thing I can properly explain it is like this: have you ever felt like when one of your senses is limited that your other senses sharpen, like your hearing and touch when it's too dark to see?"

At his nod, he continued, "Well, that's what blindsight is. The senses are raised beyond normal limitations. It's certainly one way to overcome blindness."

"That's incredible!" Edward could not hide the awe in his tone. Despite her arrogance about it, which really pissed him off, he couldn't say it wasn't an impressive ability.

"It is indeed," the older man agreed. "Like I said, it's only a comparison, but it's the only way I can really comprehend it. Blindsight is something that's more of a instinctual thing and Kaia is a very instinctual person, so it doesn't surprise me that she took to it so easily."

"Hey! Are you two coming or what?!" Kaia shouted at them.

"Coming!" Allister called back. As Edward began to walk, he was stopped, "Hey, Ed. Could you do me a favor?"

The younger man looked up at him curiously as he continued, "I know there are some things Kaia absolutely can't do, but for her sake, please don't use words like 'useless' or 'helpless'. Even if it's true, I think she's just really insecure about it."

Edward heaved a sigh, "Fine. I guess I can see that."

"Thanks. Just one other thing. Don't tell her you're _that_ impressed by blindsight. It'll only fuel her ego."

* * *

Finally, after three more days, the wait was over. Sheska had finished copying the notes and the alchemists were more than eager to see what it said.

Unfortunately, there were _a lot_ of notes and they were encrypted into recipes. It was determined that it was going to be difficult, but they took on the challenge anyway. While a majority of the reading was done by the boys, Kaia had managed to find a decent number of alchemical books written in braille with plenty of useful information.

They were at the library all day, every day, for the next ten days. Each time, they were closer and closer to the answers they were seeking. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, near the end of the tenth day, they found it…

"TO HELL WITH IT!"

Ross and Brosh, who were standing guard outside the room, peeked in to investigate the outburst. All four of the alchemists were surrounded with books and papers scattered everywhere

It was Brosh who spoke up first, "What did you guys do to this place?!"

Ross then added, "Don't get angry because you can't crack it. Throwing things isn't going to help."

"We did crack it. We cracked the code and decrypted the notes," Alphonse responded, though he sounded quite distraught.

"Really? But that's a good thing!"

"There's nothing good about it, damn it! This is the devil's research! Dr. Marcoh was right, it's evil!"

"How evil could it really?"

"The main ingredient in a philosopher's stone is human life. Even making one stone would require many human sacrifices…"

There was a tense silence that settled over everyone in the room. Brosh and Ross were both choked up from the news.

"It's disgusting," Kaia hissed. "Who the hell would give permission for research for this to be done?!"

"I don't know," Allister shook his head. "But this is very troubling. Very troubling. It would probably be best to keep this between us for right now."

That was something they could easily agree on.

And that night, the alchemists retired in their respective hotel rooms. It had been a very challenging couple of days and it was clear that they were due a rest. As expected, each of them was still dealing with their new discovery in different ways.

"You know there's no way we can go through with using the philosopher's stone, right?" Allister was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Kaia, who was spread out on the other bed, was facing away from him as she responded, "You say that like what I said at the library didn't even matter. Of course we can't. I'm not about to try to get back what I want at the expense of other people."

He grinned a little, "I knew that. You're too big of a softie to go through with it."

"Shut the hell up. I'm not soft, I'm just not a psycho."

"Whatever you say," Allister yawned, turning onto his side. "I'm completely exhausted. We'll figure something out in the morning. Good night."

"Night."

The room became quiet aside from the silent snores from the brother and the gentle motion of the ceiling fan. However, Kaia was far too worked-up to find any peace in sleep, no matter how tired she felt.

It had been ten years she had been living the way she had, dealing with no sight and no recollection of her former self. Forced to live in a world where everyone was a stranger to her. She held onto so much hope that the philosopher's stone could change that.

Kaia sighed, "I guess it really would be too good to be true, after all."

"ELRIC BROTHERS! Open up! I know you're in there!"

She shot up in surprise, hearing the loud yet familiar voice along with the loud banging, "Isn't that Major Armstrong?"

"This is the Major!"

"…Okay, that answers that."

Allister hadn't even stirred from the ruckus going on, confirming that he truly was exhausted. This was definitely her cue to check things out.

Kaia made her way down the hall, where the door had already been knocked down. She could sense all the people there, including the Elric brothers, Major Armstrong, and the soldiers Ross and Brosh.

"HOW TRAGIC! To think the legend of the Philosopher's stone could be built on such a terrible secret!"

Edward, who had been sent into a state of shock, suddenly glared at Ross and Brosh. Both looked quite sheepish as they explained,

"We're sorry…"

"It's hard to keep quiet with someone like him."

"Oh, hi Kaia," Alphonse greeted as she trekked towards him. "I hope we didn't wake you or your brother…"

She merely shrugged, "Not like I could sleep, anyway. I'm too antsy."

Meanwhile, Major Armstrong continued with his emotional outburst, "Imagine the military being behind something like this! The truth is more horrible than we bargained for!"

Edward froze, a realization coming to mind, "The truth. That's what Dr. Marcoh said. To find the truth within the truth. What we found was only scratching the surface. There's still more to find. There has to be!"

And so that's what started the researching of anything they could find. Before too long, they had a map of Central spread out on the table. The major had begun to explain,

"Currently, there are four alchemical laboratories that are operational in Central, all of them connected with the government. Marcoh worked in the Third Laboratory, so we should start with that one as the most suspicious."

"Al and I have already been to those labs and nothing big was going on there. Wait. What about this one?" Edward pointed to a building that was marked with a red 'X'.

"The Fifth Laboratory, at least it was designed to be. It's not in use now due to it being structurally unstable," Ross clarified

Edward's eyes hardened, "It's there."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Brosh.

"There's a prison right next to it. And what were the main ingredients needed to make a philosopher's stone?"

An unsettling silence filled the room as they all connected the dots. Kaia, with her hands folded, nodded,

"Ah, so what better cover up for making philosopher's stones than by using criminals already on death row?"

He nodded, "Yeah. They could easily be recorded as executions."

Ross shuddered at the thought, "Using prisoners to make a philosopher's stone…"

"Don't look at me like that. I don't like talking about it, either…"

Alphonse couldn't help but add, "Other prisons could be used for this, too. I wonder if the government is involved at all."

Both Brosh and Ross looked positively uncomfortable with all of the information, "I don't like this at all…"

"Which is why we said to keep quiet about it!"

Major Armstrong sighed and rolled up the map, "This has the potential of becoming a political nightmare. I'll look into all of this. Until then, officers, don't speak of this to anyone."

They saluted in affirmation, "Sir!"

"And you, Elric brothers, behave yourselves!"

They yelped at the accusation, shrinking down as the major continued,

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to! You were thinking of sneaking into this building and snooping around, weren't you?!"

"NO, NO! WE PROMISE!"

* * *

"Yeah, right."

As expected, the brothers had their minds made up ahead of time and not even the major could change it. After a while, when they were sure Ross and Brosh thought they were asleep, Edward and Alphonse made their move.

Getting down from the hotel room window was a bit of a challenge, but they managed to pull it off without alerting anyone.

"Going somewhere, boys?"

The brothers jumped and yelped as they turned to the source of the voice. Kaia was leaning against the stone wall with her arms crossed.

"Kaia? What are you doing out here?" Alphonse nervously asked.

"Probably the same thing you are: to go check out the Fifth Laboratory."

Edward's shocked face turned sour fast as he protested, "NO! Not happening! Just go away!"

"Brother! That's rude! And keep quiet or they'll hear us!" Alphonse whisper-shouted. It was then that Kaia sighed,

"Look, I know that we got off on the wrong foot and I'm sorry for being so hostile, but I want to know what's going on just as badly as you do. Let me come with you to the Fifth Laboratory."

Still, Edward declined, "Forget it. It's already going to be dangerous enough. We don't need you getting in our way."

A tick mark appeared on the female's forehead, "You're making me regret my apology already. I regret it so much, I might just let it slip about where you both are to your guards…"

"….You _wouldn't_."

"I _so_ would! Believe it or not, I can handle myself. And like it or not, more help means we can get more information. Something's going on and I want to know just as much as you do. It'll be like I'm not even there."

"Ugh, fine! Just keep quiet and keep up!"

Kaia smirked and pushed herself off the wall, "Great. Let's get going!"

* * *

Fortunately, climbing the wall surrounding the building was quite easy for the trio. Now, after checking around the building, it seemed that there was almost no way to get in.

"They're not taking any chances, are they?" Edward sighed, still looking around for a possible way in.

Kaia shuddered a bit, "Something's definitely off with this place. There's something inside that's making my skin crawl."

Edward finally found something: an air vent. And looking at the size, it seemed perfect for him to fit through.

"Over here," he waved them over. "Looks like this is our only way in. Give me a boost, Al."

After opening the vent, he went to climb in, "Al, you need to wait here."

"You're fine on your own?"

"Whether I'm fine on my own or not isn't the issue. You're too big to get through here," Edward explained as he started crawling through the tight space.

"It's not like I asked to get this big…" Alphonse sat on the ground, completely dejected.

Kaia patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, Al. I'll go in and see if I can find a way to let you get inside, too."

"Okay…" he muttered as she used his armor to climb inside the vent as well.

It didn't take long for her to catch up to the older Elric brother. Fortunately, she was thin enough that she fitted inside just as well as he did.

"Damn, it's even tighter in here than I thought. Good thing I have such a small body."

…

"OH NO! I JUST CALLED MYSELF A TINY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!"

Her hands were clamped over her ears at the reverberation of his yelling, "Dear god, shut up! I'm already blind, I don't need to go deaf, too!"

"'It'll be like I'm not even here' my ass," Edward grumbled, continuing to push forward.

Finally, he found an opening and kicked it open. The two dropped down from the opening and observed their surroundings. The area was old, dusty, and covered with grime, but there was still electricity powering the lights.

"There are lights on. 'Not currently in use.' Who are they trying to fool?" Edward scoffed. "This is it, alright."

Kaia nodded, "I'm going to try to see if there's any way to let Alphonse in."

"Fine. I'll keep going. Stay safe and don't do anything stupid."

"Likewise."


End file.
